During the reign of Diocletian (284-305) Christians within the Roman Empire suffered widespread persecution, especially in the eastern provinces. Those who resisted were at the mercy of the local governor and his administration. In many cases this led to capital punishment. The stories of those who confessed their faith up to the point of their execution became sources for inspirational accounts of their feats. Down to this day these martyrs are venerated and the sites of their executions and there tombs have often become pilgrimage destinations. The case was no different in Edessa. The tales of the martyrdoms of Shmona, Guria and Habib were told widely and locals and travelers alike sought out their tombs as a sacred site at which to pray. In this book the Syriac texts along with translations of the tales of these three martyrs are introduced by Professor Burkitt with a commentary focusing on the historicity of the different accounts.

Francis Crawford Burkitt (1864-1935) began his academic career as a student of mathematics. While at Cambridge University he moved to the study of Divinity, eventually becoming the Norrisian Professor. His interest in the text of the New Testament led him to study Syriac manuscripts and to publish widely in the field. He was a fellow of the British Academy.